The 2016 Chevy Silverado 1500 Has Class-Leading Towing

When it comes to towing, everyone always thinks of Ford’s Super Duty and Ram’s Heavy Duty truck lineup. But, what about those looking for a full-size truck for a practical daily driver that can still tow? Well, then we’d need to turn to Chevy for that one. The 2016 Chevy Silverado is the king of kings when it comes to the full-size truck market, and gets a 12,000 lb. class-leading V8 towing capacity with some decent fuel economy to boot.

Even if you aren’t looking for class-leading towing capability, Chevy’s other engine options still provide enough to tow anything from a small moving trailer to a bass boat.

Chevy’s 5th Generation of Legendary Small Block Engines

Chevy’s 5th generation small block engine lineup starts with the 4.3-liter V6, which is considered the runt of the litter. But, it still has some kick to it, considering that it comes in at 285 horsepower and 305 lb.-ft. best-in-class torque. It also gets the best fuel economy out of all the engine options, with 18 mpg city and 24 mpg highway. It still has a towing capacity of 7,600 lb., so don’t worry about its capability to haul, either.

The 5.3-liter V8 engine is the middle size option, and has 355 horsepower and 383 lb.-ft. of torque, with a best-in-class fuel economy of 16 mpg city and 23 mpg highway. The towing capacity jumps up to 11,100-lb., which is almost best-in-class towing.

The 6.2-liter V8 is the big boy of the group, and has a whopping 420 horsepower and 460 lb.-ft. of torque. That horsepower is only 30 away from the engine of the 2016 Camaro SS, and the torque is exceptional. That’s probably why this is the engine that lands best-in-class V8 towing with a 12,000-lb. capacity. Also, it returns decent fuel economy with 15 mpg city and 25 mpg highway.

Need the best of the best? Grab the 6.2-liter V8 engine. The only real fuel savings you will see is from the 4.3-liter V6, considering that the 6.2 is only 1 mpg city and highway from tying with the 5.2-liter for best-in-class fuel economy. That way, you get the perfect blend of exceptional performance and towing with stellar fuel economy.

How the Competition Stands

As far as the competition goes, they can’t even come close to touching the 2016 Silverado. It might be neck and neck for Ford and Ram in the bigger truck segments, but Chevy dominates the more practically-sized daily driver trucks. The Ford F150’s V8 engine can only tow 11,100-lb., which is the same amount of towing as Chevy’s middle-man engine.

The Ram 1500 comes in at third on the list, with a 10,650-lb. V8 towing capacity, and just like the F150, can’t come close to touching the Silverado’s horsepower or torque. The Ram engine only generates 395 horsepower and 410 lb.-ft. of torque, and the F150 produces 385 horsepower and 387 lb.-ft. of torque.

If you are looking for a truck that gets great towing capacity, and is a practical size, it’s clear that you need to go with the 2016 Chevy Silverado. It has class-leading V8 towing and still gets decent fuel economy, no matter what engine you choose. This combination is something that puts the competition to shame and gives you a daily driver that can really tow.